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Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Question & Answer Forum
3 live wires from socket RCD
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<blockquote data-quote="Barnet Al" data-source="post: 552902" data-attributes="member: 36755"><p>32A is standard protecton for a ring circuit, radial circuits should have 20A protection. This is to protect the wires. The ring circuit will be 2 sets of 2.5mm wires which together, are rated higher than 32A. Single 2.5mm twin and earth on a radial circuit is rated higher than 20A.</p><p></p><p>The problem is that if you have a radial circuit in the loft, that pulls off more than 20A, e.g. 13 amps for a heater and say 13 amps for a kettle then 3 amps for a TV, this is less than 32A so the breaker doesn't activate. But it is more than the maximum rating of 2.5mm twin and earth (usually 27 amps depending on how it is installed.) The result is that the cable can overheat, burn out and start a fire.</p><p></p><p>A work around could be to down-rate the breaker to 20A.</p><p></p><p>This all said, I think you would be well advised to call out an electrician to do some testing for you to find out what exactly is going on and ensure everything is safe. Hope that helps.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Barnet Al, post: 552902, member: 36755"] 32A is standard protecton for a ring circuit, radial circuits should have 20A protection. This is to protect the wires. The ring circuit will be 2 sets of 2.5mm wires which together, are rated higher than 32A. Single 2.5mm twin and earth on a radial circuit is rated higher than 20A. The problem is that if you have a radial circuit in the loft, that pulls off more than 20A, e.g. 13 amps for a heater and say 13 amps for a kettle then 3 amps for a TV, this is less than 32A so the breaker doesn't activate. But it is more than the maximum rating of 2.5mm twin and earth (usually 27 amps depending on how it is installed.) The result is that the cable can overheat, burn out and start a fire. A work around could be to down-rate the breaker to 20A. This all said, I think you would be well advised to call out an electrician to do some testing for you to find out what exactly is going on and ensure everything is safe. Hope that helps. [/QUOTE]
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3 live wires from socket RCD
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